This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
An internal combustion engine “ICE” (e.g. gasoline or diesel) typically includes a catalytic converter that includes a catalytic substrate having a plurality of small, parallel channels through which exhaust gases can flow. Catalytic substrates can reduce undesirable exhaust emissions (e.g. carbon monoxide “CO”, unburned hydrocarbons “HC”, nitrogen oxides “NOx”) by catalyzing chemical reactions to create more desirable emissions (e.g. carbon dioxide “CO2”, water “H2O”, nitrogen gas “N2”). Catalytic substrates are typically a ceramic (e.g. cordierite) block that is extruded to form the plurality channels through which the exhaust gases flow. The internal walls of the channels are typically coated with a catalyst material that catalyzes the chemical reactions necessary to achieve the more desirable emissions when the exhaust gases contact the catalyst material.
The exhaust gases can flow through the catalytic substrate such that different channels can receive unequal contact with the exhaust gases. Additionally, flow paths through a particular channel can result in unequal contact of the exhaust gases with the various coated walls of that particular channel. This unequal contact with the exhaust gases can result in inefficient use of the catalyst material.